Scott Dixon wins first race of Grand Prix of Houston

Scott Dixon picked up his fourth win of the season on Saturday. (Melissa Phillip/Houston Chronicle)

By Rod Evans

Brazilian Helio Castroneves had been living a charmed life through the first 16 races of the IZOD IndyCar Series season. Despite winning just once—at Texas Motor Speedway—this season, he entered the Grand Prix of Houston with a 49-point lead in the championship over Scott Dixon, who won his fourth race of the season by taking the checkered flag Saturday in race one of the double-header weekend.

Castroneves arrived in Houston as the man to beat primarily because his Team Penske Chevrolet-powered car had shown remarkable consistency, but that all changed on lap 24 when gearbox trouble forced him to the pits, where his crew was able to make repairs and get him back out onto the track, but he was nine laps down in 20th place at that point (he finished 18th). Prior to that misfortune, Castroneves held the distinction of being the only driver in the series to complete every lap this season.

But the day belonged to Target Chip Ganassi and Dixon, who narrowed the points deficit to just eight points going into Sunday’s second race, scheduled to begin at 12:30.

Saturday’s race couldn’t have begun worse for race organizers. After an aborted first attempt at the standing start caused by the stalled car of Charlie Kimball, James Hinchcliff’s car stalled on the grid on the second start and was hit on the left rear by Ed Carpenter. Neither driver was injured, but both were forced to retire from the race.

But after the ragged start, the healthy crowd at Reliant Park that endured temperatures in the low 90s was treated to an entertaining race that featured drivers making daring passes all over the 1.7-mile temporary course.

A.J. Foyt Racing’s Takuma Sato won the pole for the race, the first for the Houston-based team since 1999, but he finished 17th and two laps down after hitting a tire barrier with 18 laps to go.